demise of leader

A former council leader’s “unblemished 20-year career” ended after stories of infidelity, sleazy messages and political skullduggery.
Cllr Aaron Shotton, the former leader of Flintshire council, was found to have breached the code of conduct for elected members at a tribunal in Llandudno on Wednesday.
Today (Thursday) he was suspended from being a councillor for three months.
It ended more than a year-and-a-half of innuendo since an alleged affair with his married PA – a council employee.
Aaron Shotton represents Connah’s Quay Central on Flintshire council and worked closely with former deputy leader, now independent Connah’s Quay councillor, Bernie Attridge. They were a formidable team.
The pair shaped policy, earning praise for being the first Welsh authority in years to start building council housing for rent.
Cllr Shotton was a whizz with the finances, steering the authority through austerity cuts.
Cllr Attridge was the social champion, interested in housing and homelessness. However all was not well.
The story unfolded sensationally in June 2018 when it emerged Cllr Shotton was accused of having an affair with his married PA, Hayley Selvester.
Cllr Shotton remained tight-lipped publicly but held a meeting with the Labour group after the allegation was repeated in the national press. He remained leader after it.
A probe was started by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales into his conduct soon after.
While he maintained his public silence, and his position as the council’s most powerful elected member, news of Mrs Selvester’s dismissal due to gross misconduct filtered through in October 2018.
Cllr Shotton then sacked his deputy in March 2019, sparking a public meeting and demonstration over the dismissal by supporters of his former colleague.
Cllr Attridge said he was “shocked and saddened”. He added:  “This was entirely the decision of Aaron Shotton, who himself is mired in an Ombudsman’s inquiry into his conduct . There’s no such inquiry into my behaviour.”
Cllr Shotton responded there had been “breaches of confidence” and a final “breach” had forced him to act.
Before protesters could march on Connah’s Quay’s town council offices Cllr Shotton resigned as leader on April 3, 2019.
He explained he wanted to “heal political divisions” after “increasing and persistent social media attention”.
He also cited the toll on his and his family’s “mental health and wellbeing” as a reason for his decision.
Cllr Ian Roberts, who spoke as one of his character witnesses during the former leader’s subsequent misconduct hearing, was installed as leader the following week.
The Ombudsman concluded his year-long investigation in June 2019 and Cllr Shotton was informed he would face a fact-finding hearing into three allegations of breaking the code of conduct.
The saga came to a conclusion this week when an Adjudication Panel for Wales hearing ruled he had breached the code of conduct by leaving interview questions out for Mrs Selvester, before she was interviewed for the job as his PA in 2012.
 
He was also found to have encouraged inappropriate and sexual messages with her during office hours.
He was cleared of being involved in hiring a car on a council account. The vehicle was used for trips away with Mrs Selvester on three separate occasions – one at a Manchester hotel in February 2016.
She admitted she made the bookings for the car but claimed it was with his full knowledge.
Mr Shotton’s legal counsel Joanne Clement repeatedly made reference to the fact Mrs Selvester had lied to a workforce investigation at Flintshire council and to the Ombudsman, changing her story only when under oath at the tribunal.
Ms Clement challenged the panel to decide whether they believed Mrs Selvester, a “proven liar”, or Cllr Shotton, with a “20-year unblemished career” in public office.
She also said if the council’s reputation had been damaged it was because of “false press reporting”, not Cllr Shotton’s conduct.
Gwydion Hughes, legal counsel for the Ombudsman, said it was a “natural progression” for Mrs Selvester to lie to protect her job and her relationship, then admit wrongdoing under oath. They had both lied to the council’s chief executive Colin Everett, he said.
It made no sense for her to implicate herself in hiring a car on a council account unless she was telling the truth now, he added.
Panel Chair Claire Jones concluded: “Cllr Shotton did use his position improperly to confer an advantage on his PA by providing the opportunity to view questions before her interview.
“The respondent did send and/or encouraged inappropriate messages to include sexual messages during office hours.”
The Ombudsman’s office welcomed Cllr Shotton’s suspension saying the code of conduct was “intended to maintain high standards in public life” and hoped the case would “further serve to promote high standards of conduct, by elected members both within the Council and across Wales”.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter